Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (born 23 March 1953) is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur and first-generation entrepreneur and global business leader with over 4 decades of experience in biotechnology. She started her biotech journey in 1978 from her garage in India, establishing what would become Biocon, an innovation-led global biopharmaceuticals enterprise. She earned an undergraduate degree in zoology from Bangalore University in 1973 and a graduate degree in brewing from the University of Ballarat, Melbourne, in 1975.

Mazumdar spearheaded Biocon's evolution from an industrial enzymes manufacturing company to a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company with a well-balanced business portfolio of products and a research focus on diabetes, oncology and auto-immune diseases. She also established two subsidiaries: Syngene (1994) which provides early research and development support services on a contract basis and Clinigene (2000) which focuses on clinical research trials. Biocon was the first biotechnology company in India to issue an IPO, and Syngene was listed on BSE/NSE in 2015.

Her inspiring achievements have earned her several coveted titles, honours and awards, both national and international. In 2014, she was awarded the Othmer Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to the progress of science and chemistry. In 2019, she was listed as the 68th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, and was named EY World Entrepreneur of the Year 2020. In 1989 she received the Padma Shri from the Government of India and in 2005 the Padma Bhushan for pioneering efforts in Industrial Biotechnology.

Career History

• Executive Chairperson, Syngene International (April 2026–present)
• Executive Chairperson and Founder, Biocon Limited
• Non-Executive Chairperson, Syngene International (prior to April 2026)
• Former Chairperson, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore
• Trainee Manager, Biocon Biochemicals Limited, Cork, Ireland

What Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw could bring to Syngene International Executive Chairperson role: With over four decades of biotechnology leadership and a track record of transforming Biocon from a garage startup into a globally recognized biopharmaceutical enterprise, Mazumdar-Shaw brings strategic vision and execution expertise directly to Syngene. Her deep knowledge of the contract research and development sector, having founded Syngene in 1994, combined with her experience driving innovation in diabetes, oncology, and autoimmune therapeutics, positions her to accelerate Syngene's growth trajectory and strengthen its competitive positioning in the global CRDMO market.

This is an automatically generated Light profile created by Executive Moves editorial systems from verified public announcements. Information is kept deliberately concise until the page is claimed and enriched.